Very Best Apple Pie
Here we have it...the best pie recipe EVER! I know that is a big claim to make because, as you see on Pinterest, there are about a gajillion pie recipes out there. And I'm able to add to that number by +1, and I'm not mad about it at all, because this apple pie recipe is really so good that you never need to look for another recipe again.
Every house pretty much has THE pie recipe that they've been using for years (we have one too). But over Memorial Day weekend I was feeling adventurous, and searched the Internet for a new apple pie recipe to test out. Just because you have a tried and true doesn't mean you can't shake it up every now and then and try something new!
P.S. I am secretly a poet.
This is a solid apple pie recipe for two reasons: the crust is light and flakey, the apple filling is fresh and has the perfect balance of cinnamon and lemon juice without being too overpowering. That's it. A really great apple pie recipe doesn't have to be complicated AT ALL. In fact, I would say as long as you've figured out how to make a pretty good pie crust (it's seriously not as hard as you think) making apple pie is pretty hard to mess up.
Apple pie should be simple. It should taste homemade, made with just a few good ingredients, and just needs to be good as hell. This recipe hits all of those notes for me, and I don't think I'll be trying another apple pie recipe again after this one.
A few notes about the "cold" ingredients in the crust: keeping your butter and Crisco cold are the key to having a crust that is flakey and not mushy. Make sure your butter and Crisco are kept in the fridge before you use them, and that your water is very cold too. Also, when you're handling the dough on the counter, don't touch it too much as the warmth from your hands can transfer to the dough and melt the butter and Crisco. That's no bueno, so touch the dough as few times as possible!
Note that this recipe isn't vegan due to the inclusion of the butter and egg wash.
Recipe
Ingredients
Crust
12 tablespoons very cold butter
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup very cold Crisco
1/2 cup ice water
Filling
5 cups of sliced apples (I used Gala because that's all my grocery store had, but Honeycrisp is a great option if you have it)
1 cup of light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons of cornstarch
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of diced butter
Directions
Dice the butter and Crisco and keep them in the freezer while you prepare the flour mixture.
Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas.
With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball.
Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make your filling by mixing all ingredients together in a large bowl (except for the butter).
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
After 30 minutes, turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Cut the dough in half.
Roll each piece onto a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, into a circle (or an oval if you're using an oval baking dish as I did).
Fold the dough in half, place in your dish, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust after filling.
Pour your filling into the bottom dish and dot with bits of butter. Top with the second crust, and pinch the tops and bottom crusts together so that they are sealed (you can probably do this in a fancy way - I don't).
Cut a few slits in the top crust. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with some white sugar all over.
Place the pie in the oven and bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes. Then, lower the temperature to 350 and bake for 40 minutes. Let cool before cutting and enjoy!